As of now, Jordan Poole is going to be a surprisingly important member of the Golden State Warriors’ potential title run next season.
The Golden State Warriors felt confident they found a hidden gem in the 2019 NBA Draft when they selected Jordan Poole 28th overall. However, they probably didn’t expect him to be such an important role player for them moving forward.
The draft took place just a week after the Warriors were defeated in six games by the Toronto Raptors in the NBA Finals. With uncertainty surrounding Klay Thompson‘s health and Kevin Durant‘s upcoming free agency, the Dubs had no idea what their roster would look like next season.
Quickly, drastic changes began to happen. Durant was swapped in exchange for D’Angelo Russell while veterans such as Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston were removed from the roster as well. Soon, Thompson would be ruled out for the entire season while Stephen Curry suffered a hand injury that sidelined him for four months.
Suddenly, Poole was thrust into the spotlight as the Dubs backcourt rotation thinned out. Poole didn’t exactly hit the ground running. Through his first 29 games, Poole shot below 30 percent from both the field and 3-point line and was arguably the worst rotational player in the entire association.
In order to boost his confidence, the Warriors sent the 20-year-old to the G-League. This move worked out fantastically as Poole looked completely revitalized upon his return to the pros.
In the final three months of the season, Poole averaged 11.6 points on 42.0 percent shooting clip. He was much improved on both ends of the floor and displayed his potential as a flamethrower from deep.
Next season, the Warriors will be back in title contention. Curry and Thompson will reclaim their throne as the best backcourt in the league but will need solid production from their backups to remain competitive. This is where Poole will have to show up.
Poole is in position to be a spark plug off the bench. There is no telling how much success he can see in his career if he proves to be a reliable offensive threat with the second unit this season.